Linking the Cyprus issue to the Kurdish issue of Turkey is the only effective way to [a] uncover Turkish hypocrisy on her approach to majority-minority community relations [b] bring about a fair and permanent settlement to Cyprus' Turkish problem and [c] help bring community status recognition for the close to 20 million Kurds of Turkey.
A win-win-win for the Kurdish, Turkish and Cypriot peoples.
It may also bring about the first ever truly democratic constitution in Turkey's history!

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Turkish protesters rough up US sailors in Istanbul | The Times of Israel

Footage of incident shows Turks restraining serviceman, briefly putting a white sack over his head - November 13, 2014
ISTANBUL (AP) — Anti-American protesters shouting “Yankee, go home!” roughed up three US Navy sailors Wednesday in Istanbul near where their warship was docked on an inlet of the Bosphorus Strait in the Black Sea.

A dozen or more protesters shouted at them, calling them killers and said they should leave Turkey. The protesters, who carried a banner of the left-leaning Youth Association of Turkey, threw red paint at the sailors and briefly succeeded in putting white sacks over their heads.

One sailor tried to ignore the protesters to no avail. Another worked unsuccessfully to push off the protesters. When the sailors couldn’t get away, they began to walk and then run away down a sidewalk.

A video of the incident shot by the association and posted online showed the protesters chasing them, shouting “Yankee, go home!”

“Soldiers from the occupying country think they can walk around freely in Eminonu,” association spokesman Melik Dibek said, referring to the neighborhood where the incident occurred. “It’s obvious why they’ve anchored here —because of their ambitions in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. American imperialism is the reason why the Middle East has turned into a chamber of fire.”

The servicemen, who were not in uniform, were from the USS Ross, a guided-missile destroyer docked nearby, according to Capt. Greg Hicks, a spokesman for the US European Command. He said they were not hurt and were safely back aboard the ship, but that shore leave for its sailors was canceled for the remainder of the day.

The US Embassy in Ankara condemned the attack on Twitter and said it had no doubt that most Turks would reject such an action.

Anti-American sentiment in Turkey is not widespread, but some Turks accuse the United States of meddling in regional affairs.

In Washington, Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, called the attack “ugly and disturbing.” He said the attackers, whom he called street thugs, “bring great discredit upon the Turks and the Turkish reputation for hospitality.”

He said the assault “appears to be a one-off incident” and that he doesn’t believe it will disrupt US-Turkish relations.

The Navy said in a statement that it was working with the Turkish National Police and embassy staff to investigate this incident and would continue to coordinate with Turkish authorities to review security procedures for future ship visits.

Dogan news agency said Turkish police have detained 12 people, including one woman, in connection with the incident.

Read more: Turkish protesters rough up US sailors in Istanbul | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/turkish-protesters-rough-up-us-sailors-in-istanbul/#ixzz3IwFrt3BG
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Turkey's Kurds & Cyprus' tCypriots

As either unitary state or federation solutions are discussed as replacements to Cyprus' 1960 and Turkey's 1923 unworkable constitutions, should we abide by "if a right is a right too many for Turkey's Kurdish community (circa 23% of population) then that right is a right too many for Cyprus' tCypriot community too (circa 15%), and vice versa." Is the adoption of this fair logic the catalyst to securing just solutions for both UN countries.

DID TURKEY HAVE MORE REASONABLE OPTIONS IN 1974 GIVEN THAT NOT A SINGLE TURKISH CYPRIOT HAD BEEN HURT, AS A RESULT OF THE JULY 15TH ILLEGAL GREEK JUNTA COUP, UP UNTIL TURKEY'S DECLARATION OF WAR ON CYPRUS THE DAWN OF JULY 20TH?